Cedar Rapids Xavier wraps up undefeated regular season with win over Oskaloosa

CEDAR RAPIDS — With a Class 4A playoff berth and a home playoff game already secured, the Cedar Rapids Xavier football team was in search of a quick, clean effort in the regular-season finale Friday night with Oskaloosa at Saints Field.

Mission accomplished.

Xavier used the big play early and often, rolling to a 52-6 win over the visiting Indians on Senior Night.

Senior running back Michael Cunningham had only seven first-half carries, but made the most of them. He had scoring runs of 63 and 86 yards, finishing with 170 total yards.

The No. 3 Saints (9-0) will host a playoff game next Friday night against an opponent to be announced on Saturday. Oskaloosa closes its season at 1-8.

Cunningham's first TD came on Xavier's first snap after the kickoff. The big plays kept coming as the Saints built a 42-0 halftime lead, allowing Coach Duane Schulte to get his starters out and give them some rest with the playoffs coming up.

“I'm happy with the way our guys were focused from the start,” Schulte said. “They didn't take anything for granted and really got after it.”

Cunningham, who went over 1,000 yards rushing for the season, said the Saints were not taking Oskaloosa lightly.

“Even though we scored a lot early, there were a lot of little mistakes we made that we need to clean up,” he said. “The O-line did a great job all night, opening great holes. I wasn't even touched on either run.”

On their next possession, Xavier scored on a beautiful 42-yard pass from Ronan Thomas to Aiden McDermott. The duo connected three times for 92 yards before heading to the bench in the second half.

Thomas’ lone carry of the night resulted in a 21-yard score. Cunningham then broke loose from 86 yards to score. Oskaloosa then mounted a drive, only to see Thomas Sundell pick off a Trevor Willett pass and ramble 95 yards for a score, sending the game to a continuous clock.

Schulte admitted it was a perfect scenario for a team getting ready for the playoffs.

“We're definitely glad all the guys got to play,” he said. “Our scout team guys earned it. They work hard all week and it is a credit to all of them. They all have a role.”

The biggest celebration of the night came late in the fourth quarter when junior reserve receiver Will Russell took a swing pass from No. 2 quarterback Adam Cook and raced 46 yards into the end zone for the Saints’ final score.

As usual, it will be a busy football weekend for Schulte. After coaching on Friday nights, he can be found in the stands on Saturdays watching his son, Quinn, a starting safety for the University of Iowa.

However, this Saturday will be a bit more of a challenge with an 11 a.m. (CT) kickoff in Columbus, Ohio, against Ohio State. Schulte and his wife, Sherry, took off shortly after the game on the 576-mile trip which takes just under nine hours to drive.

“We've done it once before this year,” he said. “When they played at Rutgers, we drove to O'Hare and then flew out. We'll figure it out and hope to be there (a few hours before kickoff).”